Balentien hits 55th homer to tie Japan mark

Summary of 2 articles · Updated Sep 11, 2013

"It's an honor to be tied with such great players," Balentien said. "It's an honor to be tied with such great players," Balentien told the Associated Press. The 29-year-old Balentien missed the first 12 games of this season because of a leg injury sustain… (more)ed while playing for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. Despite Balentien's home run, the Yakult Swallows lost 6-2 to the Hiroshima Carp. He hit 31 homers in each of his first two seasons in Japan after signing with Tokyo in 2011. The 29-year-old Tokyo Yakult Swallows outfielder hit a solo homer in the sixth inning of his club's 6-2 loss to Hiroshima at Jingu Stadium to match the record set by Japanese legend Sadaharu Oh in 1964. It is believed that in 2001 and 2002, Rhodes and Cabrera saw an increased number of walks because Japanese pitchers didn't want Oh's record to fall to a foreign player.